DeSantis declares COVID ‘state of emergency’ over, overrides local restrictions

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Monday that his state of emergency for COVID-19 has ended, signed an executive order revoking all remaining local COVID emergency orders and signed a bill prohibiting businesses, schools, and government agencies across Florida from requiring anyone to provide evidence of COVID-vaccination. 19.

"I think that's the evidence-based thing," said DeSantis in a St. Petersburg restaurant where he signed the bill with House Speaker Chris Sprouls and Senate President Wilton Simpson at his side. "I think the people who say they need to monitor people at this point, if you say that, you are really saying that you don't believe in vaccines, you don't believe in the data, you don't believe in science." ... we are no longer in a state of emergency. "

The provision regulating so-called "vaccine passports" was included in SB 2006, a bill that aims to modernize the state's emergency powers in the face of a future public health emergency. The new law will take effect on July 1, but DeSantis also said on Monday that it will sign an executive order that will cancel all remaining domestic emergency COVID orders still in effect after July 1 and immediately suspend any orders related to COVID-19 now.

This measure will make it difficult for local governments to respond to public emergencies by requiring any future emergency orders to be narrowly designed and only extended in seven-day increments for a total of 42 days and grants the governor the power to revoke the emergency order. . Currently, these requests can be extended indefinitely.

Under the new law, companies, schools and governments may not require proof of vaccinations, and if they do, they could be fined up to $ 5,000 per accident. However, they can establish screening protocols if they "comply with official or regulatory directives issued by the government to protect public health."

Licensed healthcare providers are the only entities excluded from providing vaccine documentation.

Private companies can still require people to wear masks, but governments cannot enforce this by law.

On Sunday, Florida recorded 3,841 new cases of COVID-19, 31 deaths, and 6.3 million people who were fully vaccinated, about 30% of the population. Florida ranks 38th for the nation's vaccination rates.

The governor defended his decision to suspend local emergency orders related to masks and social distancing.

"If we have widely spread vaccines that are more than 99% effective, then what is the basis of the evidence that someone is wearing a mask now?"

Also on Monday, the governor ordered the state's Capitol Building, which had been closed to the public since March of last year, to reopen to the public on Friday.

Local government officials immediately criticized the governor's decision.

Fend off mayors
In Miami-Dade County, Mayor Daniela Levin Cava said lifting local COVID rules would ignore remaining dangers to public safety.

"We're still in an emergency," said Levin Kava, a Democrat who works in a nonpartisan office, after a news conference about youth sport. Less than half of our people have been vaccinated. We have new variables threatening us. "

Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gilber said he expects an order to suspend the city’s ability to close businesses when customers or employees are not wearing masks - just as popular beachfront venues like LIV and Mango's Tropical Cafe are starting to welcome back to the crowd.

The City Mask Authorization, which borrows from the Miami-Dade County Emergency Order, enables code compliance officials to shut down the company for 24 hours if the officer notices customers or employees who are not wearing masks at work.

"It looks like the governor is doing his best to persuade people not to wear masks," Gilber said Monday.